Argument in Favor of Proposition 205

Arguments on this page are the opinions of the authors and have not been checked for accuracy by any official agency.

Proposition 205 is supported by the California State Sheriffs' Association, California Police
Chiefs Association, California District Attorneys Association, Crime Victims United and other
leading crime victims groups throughout the state.

HERE'S WHY--

Proposition 205 is urgently needed to keep violent criminals out of our schools and
neighborhoods and keep them behind bars--where they belong.

Proposition 205 provides the critical funding to build new or upgrade existing county jails.
Without it, thousands of convicted criminals will be released early.

26 California counties are under federal court orders to release criminals because of massive
jail overcrowding. Criminals laugh at a system that does little to hold them accountable for
their actions while the public fears for its safety.

Because of these federal court orders, many counties routinely release criminals after they have
served only a fraction of their sentences.

In one large California county, the average jail term for a one year sentence is only 51 days!
This is outrageous!

California spends billions each year on police and prosecutors to put criminals behind bars.
When their hard work results in a jail sentence, we do not want these criminals released because of
a lack of jail space.

California's tough new ''Three Strikes" law is working to remove violent criminals from our
streets. Since its passage, California has had three years of declining crime rates. But without
adequate county jail space, criminals who have already received their first and second strikes could
be released early. The same California citizens who led the nation by passing ''Three Strikes and
You're Out" should support Proposition 205. ''Three Strikes and You're Out" puts violent career
criminals in prison and jail for longer sentences, Proposition 205 will ensure that unelected federal
judges don't order the early release of those criminals due to a lack of facilities.